Modulatory effects of Tabebuia impetiginosa (Lamiales, Bignoniaceae) on doxorubicin-induced somatic mutation and recombination in Drosophila melanogaster

The wing Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test (SMART) in D. melanogaster was used to study genotoxicity of the medicinal plant Tabebuia impetiginosa. Lapachol (naphthoquinone) and β-lapachone (quinone) are the two main chemical constituents of T. impetiginosa. These compounds have several biological properties. They induce apoptosis by generating oxygen-reactive species, thereby inhibiting topoisomerases (I and II) or inducing other enzymes dependent on NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1, thus affecting cell cycle checkpoints. The SMART was used in the standard (ST) version, which has normal levels of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, to check the direct action of this compound, and in the high bioactivation (HB) version, which has a high constitutive level of CYP enzymes, to check for indirect action in three different T. impetiginosa concentrations (10%, 20% or 40% w/w). It was observed that T. impetiginosa alone did not modify the spontaneous frequencies of mutant spots in either cross. The negative results observed prompted us to study this phytotherapeuticum in association with the reference mutagen doxorubicin (DXR). In co-treated series, T. impetiginosa was toxic in both crosses at higher concentration, whereas in the HB cross, it induced a considerable potentiating effect (from ~24.0 to ~95.0%) on DXR genotoxity. Therefore, further research is needed to determine the possible risks associated with the exposure of living organisms to this complex mixture

Chiral squaramide-catalyzed asymmetric synthesis of pyranones and pyranonaphthoquinones via cascade reactions of 1,3-dicarbonyls with Morita-Baylis-Hillman acetates of nitroalkenes

Cascade reactions of 1,3-dicarbonyls with Morita-Baylis-Hillman acetates of nitroalkenes using a quinine derived chiral squaramide organocatalyst led to the formation of pyranones and pyranonaphthoquinones in good to excellent yields and high diastereo-and enantioselectivities. Representative examples of the reaction scale-up with a much lower catalyst loading without an appreciable loss of selectivities and synthetic transformations of the products are also reported here. The compounds described herein for the first time were evaluated against the infective bloodstream form of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, since the structures are related to bioactive alpha-lapachones

Imidazoles from nitroallylic acetates and alpha-bromonitroalkenes with amidines: synthesis and trypanocidal activity studies

Cascade reactions of amidines with nitroallylic acetates and alpha-bromonitroalkenes provide potentially bioactive imidazoles in good to excellent yields in most cases. While 2,4-disubstituted imidazol-5-yl acetates are formed in the first case, 2,4-disubstituted imidazoles, bearing no substituent at position 5, are the products in the second case. These two series of imidazoles, viz. 2,4,5-trisubstituted and 2,4-disubstituted, were screened for their activity against the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi which is responsible for Chagas disease. As many as three compounds were as active as the standard benznidazole and two others were 2-3-fold more active highlighting the potential of substituted imidazoles, easily accessible from nitroalkenes, as possible anti-parasitic agents

Strategies towards potent trypanocidal drugs: Application of Rh-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] cycloadditions, sulfonyl phthalide annulation and nitroalkene reactions for the synthesis of substituted quinones and their evaluation against Trypanosoma cruzi

Rhodium-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] cycloadditions, sulfonyl phthalide annulations and nitroalkene reactions have been employed for the synthesis of 56 quinone-based compounds. These were evaluated against Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease. The reactions described here are part of a program that aims to utilize modern, versatile and efficient synthetic methods for the one or two step preparation of trypanocidal compounds. We have identified 9 compounds with potent activity against the parasite; 3 of these were 30-fold more potent than benznidazole (Bz), a drug used for the treatment of Chagas disease. This article provides a comprehensive outline of reactions involving over 120 compounds aimed at the discovery of new quinone-based frameworks with activity against T. cruzi

Autophagy in protists

Autophagy is the degradative process by which eukaryotic cells digest their own components using acid hydrolases within the lysosome. Originally thought to function almost exclusively in providing starving cells with nutrients taken from their own cellular constituents, autophagy is in fact involved in numerous cellular events including differentiation, turnover of macromolecules and organelles and defense against parasitic invaders. During the past 10-20 years, molecular components of the autophagic machinery have been discovered, revealing a complex interactome of proteins and lipids, which, in a concerted way, induce membrane formation to engulf cellular material and target it for lysosomal degradation. Here, our emphasis is autophagy in protists. We discuss experimental and genomic data indicating that the canonical autophagy machinery characterized in animals and fungi appeared prior to the radiation of major eukaryotic lineages. Moreover, we describe how comparative bioinformatics revealed that this canonical machinery has been subject to moderation, outright loss or elaboration on multiple occasions in protist lineages, most probably as a consequence of diverse lifestyle adaptations. We also review experimental studies illustrating how several pathogenic protists either utilize autophagy mechanisms or manipulate host-cell autophagy in order to establish or maintain infection within a host. The essentiality of autophagy for the pathogenicity of many parasites, and the unique features of some of the autophagy-related proteins involved, suggest possible new targets for drug discovery. Further studies of the molecular details of autophagy in protists will undoubtedly enhance our understanding of the diversity and complexity of this cellular phenomenon and the opportunities it offers as a drug target